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1967–68 Pittsburgh Pipers season
1967–68 Pittsburgh Pipers season
Division champions
Head coach	Vince Cazzetta
Arena	Pittsburgh Civic Arena
Results
Record	54–24 (.692)
Place	Division: 1st
Playoff finish	Won ABA Championship
	1968–69 >

The 1967–68 Pittsburgh Pipers season was the 1st season of the ABA. The Pipers finished first in the Eastern Division and won their first and only ABA title.^[1]

In the Eastern Division semifinals, the Pipers swept the Indiana Pacers in three games. In the Eastern Division Finals, the Pipers eliminated the Minnesota Muskies, in five games. The Western Division champion New Orleans Buccaneers appeared in the ABA Championships for the first time and were defeated by the Pipers in seven games. The Pipers would soon move to Minnesota for the next season, only to return a year later. Plaguing injuries nagged the team for the rest of their brief tenure in Pittsburgh, as they would disband in 1972, only four years after winning the title. The Pipers hold a legacy as the first ABA champion along with Pittsburgh's only professional basketball champion.

Roster

13 Craig Dill (Center, University of Michigan)
20 Cal Graham (Guard, Gannon University)
30 Ira Harge (Center, University of New Mexico)
42 Connie Hawkins (Power forward, University of Iowa)
12 Art Heyman (Small forward, Duke University)
12 Bob Hogsett (Forward, University of Tennessee)
20 Jim Jarvis (Point guard, Oregon State University)
14 Arvesta Kelly (Guard, Lincoln University of Missouri)
40 Tom Kerwin (Forward, Centenary College of Louisiana)
25 Barry Liebowitz (Shooting guard, Long Island University)
22 Bill Meyer (Guard, Hiram College)
50 Rich Parks (Small forward, Saint Louis University)
30 Willie Porter (Power forward, Tennessee State University)
-- John Postley (Forward, Bethune-Cookman College)
45 Herschell Turner (Point guard, University of Nebraska)
22 Steve Vacendak (Point guard, Duke University)
10 Chico Vaughn (Shooting guard, Southern Illinois University)
32 Trooper Washington (Point guard, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania)
14 Dexter Westbrook (Forward, Providence College)
44 Charlie Williams (Point guard, Seattle University)
24 Leroy Wright (Power forward, University of the Pacific)

Bold indicates player was on final roster when team won championship.

Season standings

**1969–70 ABA Eastern Standings**^[2]
Western Division	W	L	PCT.	GB
Pittsburgh Pipers	54	24	.692	–
Minnesota Muskies	45	39	.641	4
Indiana Pacers	38	40	.487	16
Kentucky Colonels	36	46	.462	18
New Jersey Americans	36	46	.462	18

Record vs. opponents

1967-68 ABA Records
Team	ANA	DAL	DEN	HOU	IND	KEN	MIN	NJA	NOB	OAK	PIT
Anaheim	—	2–8	3–7	6–3	2–4	0–6	1–5	2–4	2–7	6–4	1–5
Dallas	8–2	—	4–5	8–2	3–3	5–1	2–4	3–3	4–6	7–2	2–4
Denver	7–3	5–4	—	6–3	4–2	2–4	2–4	5–1	5–5	7–3	2–4
Houston	3–6	2–8	3–6	—	3–3	3–3	3–3	3–3	0–10	7–3	2–4
Indiana	4–2	3–3	2–4	3–3	—	6–5	3–8	6–4	3–3	4–2	4–6
Kentucky	6–0	1–5	4–2	3–3	5–6	—	5–5	4–7	2–4	3–3	3–7
Minnesota	5–1	4–2	4–2	3–3	8–3	5–5	—	7–3	5–1	5–1	4–7
New Jersey	4–2	3–3	1–5	3–3	4–6	7–4	3–7	—	3–3	5–1	3–8
New Orleans	7–2	6–4	5–5	10–0	3–3	4–2	1–5	3–3	—	6–3	3–3
Oakland	4–6	2–7	3–7	3–7	2–4	3–3	1–5	1–5	3–6	—	0–6
Pittsburgh	5–1	4–2	4–2	4–2	6–4	7–3	7–4	8–3	3–3	6–0	—

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals^[3]

Game	Date	Location	Score	Record	Attendance
1	March 25	Pittsburgh	146–127	1–0	2,189
2	March 26	Pittsburgh	121–108	2–0	3,684
3	March 27	Indiana	133–114	3–0	3,141

Pipers win series, 3–0

Division Finals^[3]

Game	Date	Location	Score	Record	Attendance
1	April 4	Pittsburgh	125–117	1–0	3,159
2	April 6	Pittsburgh	123–137	1–1	2,123
3	April 10	Minnesota	107–99	2–1	8,357
4	April 13	Minnesota	117–108	3–1	3,787
5	April 14	Pittsburgh	114–105	4–1	3,350

Pipers win series, 4–1

ABA Finals^[3]

Game	Date	Location	Score	Record	Attendance
1	April 18	Pittsburgh	120–112	1–0	2,665
2	April 20	Pittsburgh	100–109	1–1	3,877
3	April 24	New Orleans	101–109	1–2	6,300
4	April 25	New Orleans	106–105 (OT)	2–2	7,000
5	April 27	Pittsburgh	108–111	2–3	3,347
6	May 1	New Orleans	118–112	3–3	7,200
7	May 4	Pittsburgh	122–113	4–3	11,457

Pipers win series, 4–3

In six out of the 15 playoff games he played, Hawkins was the lead scorer. As such, he was named Playoffs MVP. Hawkins would be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. As it turned out, this would be his only championship.

Awards, records, and honors

1968 ABA All-Star Game
- Connie Hawkins
- Chico Vaughn
Most Valuable Player
- Connie Hawkins

References

^ "Remember the ABA: Pittsburgh Condors". Archived from the original on April 28, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
^ "1967-68 ABA Season Summary". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c "1967-68 ABA Regular Season Standings". Remembertheaba.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2015.